Amanuensis Monday: 1791 – Marriage Allegation – Michael Read

Amanuensis Monday is a blog theme started by John Newmark on his blog Transylvanian Dutch, in which he is transcribing letters, newspaper articles, audio tapes, and a war diary etc., concerning his family.

John explains Amanuensis as “a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another”.

I have been waiting since February to receive from the Buckinghamshire Record Office twenty four Marriage Licences and finally received them a couple of days ago.

For today’s Amanuensis Monday I am showing part of the Marriage Bond and Allegation for Michael Read (1742 – 1822), one of the sons of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read, which was one of the twenty four Licences.

Copy of original document held at Buckinghamshire Record Office - copyright 2011

This is the Transcript for the above document:

28th Sept 1791

On which day appeared personally Michael Read of the Parish of Lower Winchendon in the Archdeaconry of Bucks, & alledged that he is a batchelor aged Twenty one years and upwards and that he intends to marry with Martha Smith of Ashendon in the County of Bucks Spinster aged Twenty one years & upwards & not knowing or believing any Impediment to hinder the said intended Marriage of the …(?) hereof he made Oath, & prayed Licence for them to be married in the parish Church of Ashendon aforesaid.

Sworn the said Michael Read to the truth of the promises before me

(The word Witness is crossed out here)

Michael Read

W. Stockins Snr.

I discovered a long time ago that Michael Read was 49 years old when he married his much younger bride, Martha Smith. She was 33 years old at their marriage so the wording “twenty one years and upwards” doesn’t give any clue that they are a fair bit older than that!!

But, I always had a nagging doubt that maybe this was not the first marriage for Michael, in view of his more mature years. Whenever I have been researching my ancestors, I have always kept an eye out for a likely earlier marriage for Michael, but never found one.

This document is wonderful for me as it shows that this marriage to Martha Smith was Michael’s only marriage as he is stated to be a bachelor so I no longer have to search for a marriage that might have been, but never was!!

Michael married Martha on 29th September 1791 at Ashendon, Buckinghamshire which was where Martha was from. They did not have any children.

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YOUR ANCESTORS

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row
Would you be proud of them
Or don't you really know?
Some strange discoveries are made
In climbing family trees
And some of them, you know
Do not particularly please!

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row
There might be some of them, perhaps
You wouldn't care to know
But here's another question, which
Requires a different view ...
If you could meet your ancestors
Would they be proud of you?(Author unknown)